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Old 24-01-13, 17:41
AndyHoldcroft AndyHoldcroft is offline
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Default Family transcript 3: "Fishing Diary" pt 1

This is the third family document transcription that I am sharing with you. The source is a diary which my Great-Grandfather, Edward Dolton (father of my Grandmother, Mary Dolton (later Cooke) whose two pieces I have previously posted) kept from his bachelor days in 1888 until the early years of his marriage in 1895. Originally intended as a record of his fishing, it developed quickly as he added some descriptions of the places he fished, people he met and later more general reflections. Some are humourous, others quite poetic.
As the whole is too long to post & as the fishing tally parts are of relative less interest, I intend to post a series of selected excerpts.
They are strict transcriptions with notes added by me to aid readers.All spellings etc are as in the original.

Transcription of Fishing Diary 1888-1895
of
Edward William Dolton (1848-1931).




Account of fish caught
1888

Janry 11
Plants Brook Reservoirs1. Beastly day-cold & misty & could hardly see float through the mist. Water cov’d with black scum from Brummagum smoke and sewage farm stank awfully of ammonia, even a mile away. Flock of 249 starlings suddenly discovered me through the mist. Were so frightened they were all simultaneously moved i n their insides. Results just missed me, but pattered over the water like shots. This saved ground baiting. Introduced in shirt & top hat to Maria at 6 at 7722. Met a new man who is frightened of railway collisions & walked from town to avoid being mashed up in fog.

1 Now Plantsbrook Local Nature Reserve in Birmingham (Erdington): former reservoirs still top up the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal although are otherwise no longer reservoirs for water supply. Used during World War 2 to test torpedoes and amphibious craft. Edward was at this time presumably still living at his 1881 Census address of 111, Bottville Road, Yardley, Birmingham, with his father Edward Thomas, stepmother Sarah, brother Alfred, half-sister Emma (“Pem”) and servant Alice Evans who by 1884 had married Alfred Dolton. Alfred & Alice though resident here in 1881 would not have been so at the time of the diary. (See note 44 below) This would put his journey as around 9 km/5 ½ miles each way or roughly 11 miles round trip.
2 Reference obscure.

March 31
Next occasion. Previously almost all bad & un-fit for fishing. Bitter N.E. winds & frost since end of Jan’ry but little snow around B’ham. Fished in Stour near Iford Bridge4. River in flood from rain & snow-water, and pouring out over fields. Saw large flock of wood-pigeons - very wild. Sport bad, bottom very foul.

4 On the outskirts of Bournemouth, Dorset.



April 5
Tuckton Bridge near Christchurch-in-Stour5. Water good colour but too cold. Day cold & dull & wind E. Not much sport. Saw salmon net shot but when drawn to bank nothing but leaves – not a fish of any kind in it. Can fish all year round in Stour – from gudgeon to salmon when each is in season; and a good stock of all kinds of fish is in the river.

5 On the outskirts of Bournemouth, Dorset.

April 13
Moseley New Pool6 by myself. Mr Edwards not turning up as expected. Beautiful spring day, but windy. Wind W.N.W. Nothing caught but 2 small perch: weight not mentioned. Small roach rising towards evening over ground bait, but no hooks with me small enough for them. Put the perch in Station field pit.

6 Now in Swanshurst Park, Billesley, Birmingham (c 4 km/ 2 ½ miles from where he was living so roughly 5 mile round trip).

April 18
Shustoke in Bourne7. Fine morning, wind S.W.. Thunder storm in afternoon. Sport bad. Met Bernard Moore & friends. Lost no tackle. Mr Thompson related how he caught young jackdaw in field by making cast with artificial minnow which the jackdaw seized & flew off with, but was played & landed.

7 Near Coleshill, Warwickshire. The Bourne now feeds into Shustoke Reservoir which had just been completed at the time of Edward’s visit. Roughly 15 miles round trip.

April 21
Sara-hole Mill Pool8. Landed 5 small Jack with live minnow. Put the two smaller back to grow. Out of season but eat well & flesh quite firm & good. Wind N. Strong & cold in morning but calm & sunny & much warmer towards evening. Beautiful walk back between 5 & 6 o’clock.

8 Better known as Sarehole Mill on River Cole, Hall Green, Birmingham. Best known as inspiration for the Mill in “The Hobbit” & “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien who was born 4 years after Edward made this entry and who lived nearby1896-1900. Now part of the Shire Country Park. About 2 mile round trip for Edward.

May 3
Highley to Hampton Lode9 on Severn. Wind very strong & gusty W to N.W. No fish rising & not much fly on. Saw none but small March Browns & Cowdungs10. Took the 2 fish with March Brown sail fly. Heard cuckoo & laud-rail: first time this year. Most backward Spring on record, hawthorn only just coming into leaf & black-thorn beginning to flower, the latter being quite a month later than normal – or even 6 weeks. Hawks of some kind doing a young devilish laugh amongst the woods.

9 Between Kidderminster & Bridgnorth.
10 Angling flies

May 11
Bridgnorth down to Hampton Lode. Beautiful warm sun-shiny day. Wind slight & N.W. Not many flies on and those were duns with brownish yellow bodies. Dace rising pretty freely, and a few trout. Touched 4 fish with minnow but only landed one. Another on about ¾ lb but net twisted round in rapid current, fish hung up by the hook & then dropped off into water. Caught a fine lamb struggling down the river & unable to get out. Saw swifts first time this year. River in a beastly state of pollution for several miles below Bridgnorth from sewage & dye-works.

May 16
Witton Reservoir11 with Mr Edwards. Dull & windy, no sun and rather cold. No sport at all. Large gull flying about over the water apparently searching for food. David the keeper said it was a sea-hawk & could catch fish. Yellow wag-tails (a very pretty bird) flitting about the shore. Tried spinning, live minnow & lob worms, but no result. Left early and did a 10 mile walk afterwards.

11 Presumably one of what now are the two Witton Lakes in Erdington, Birmingham, previously used as drinking water reservoirs. Not clear regarding the 10 mile walk home unless he took a detour as the round trip is roughly 12 miles as the crow flies.

June 9
Hampton Lode. Wind & weather just right for fishing, but river very fine & low & hardly any fish rising. Plenty of fly on including Drakes, Iron blue & Yellow Sally but could rise nothing to artificial fly but one chub & 1 small trout. Waders on boat absolutely necessary to fish the Severn here with fly, & if water is fine it is much better to tip (?) the hook with a gentle, or a bit of white kid. Most of the fish lately taken in the fine water by daping with natural fly of any kind or with live minnow. In minnow fishing the Severn, spin the rapid water: paternoster up stream with minnow or worm behind the bushes and in eddies & holes: and in still even streams & centre of river use float & minnow, or worm, about 6 in. from bottom. Splendid show of hawthorn bloom now. Got rather boozed on pint of Mr Jones’12 cider. Fosters dap minnow up stream behind bushes also very killing in any state of water, and will spin well.

12 Edward’s father-in-law, on his subsequent marriage to Eva Ruth Jones two and a half years after this entry would be Mr (Thomas) Jones: uncertain however whether this is same person.
It would seem possible that Edward had a copy of “A Book On Angling” by Francis Francis(first published 1867) which was the standard work on fly fishing and used much of the terminology used here, much of which is now no longer used. Equally he may have read “Angling or How to Angle” by Robert Blakey (first published in 1854) from which the advice on substituting a piece of white kid for a gentle is lifted almost verbatim. “Gentles” are maggots used as bait and “paternostering” and “daping” are angling techniques.

June 27
Plants Bk Res. Lost 2 trout by their feeling the hooks before striking. In future hold the line lightly as possible to give them time to turn before feeling points of hooks, & striking. Put can of minnows in stream from waterfall & whilst away some swine opened the gates & let the water down. Can & minnows dissapeared (sic) into reservoir.

July 26
Plants Bk Res. Rained almost all day. Most disgusting. Nothing rising & nothing biting. The roach took & mangled worms. Not very slimy, and was plump & red after death. Presented this lot to Carrie13 who did not admire flavour of said roach. She said it was bitter & peculiar. Probably had it for breakfast, judging from expression of face. Had snow on two occasions in July. It fell about 3 (?) one morning in commencement of the month & remained on the ground nearly an hour. It also fell, accompanied with rain, on one occasion during the last week: about 10 (?). This is the rainiest and coldest summer within recollection, the sun being hardly visible for weeks at a stretch.

13 Unidentified but possibly Mrs Caroline Whitehouse who lived next-door but one at 113 Bottville Road.


August 6
Plants Bk Res. Bank Holiday. Rained heavily for several hours, then cleared up into a dull hazy day without wind, and the sun not showing once. Fish not biting: only caught one here & there. Immense numbers of rooks & starlings in small wood by reservoirs.
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Old 03-02-13, 11:18
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Merry Merry is online now
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Re fishing at Iford Bridge.....

This will be the old (mostly 12thC) bridge next to the modern one (A35) and it is still a fairly tranquil place for fishing despite being very near the main road, mainly because it is quite low-lying. It is still an area prone to flooding (last flood warning at the end of Nov 2012).

Old Iford Bridge

and fishing at Tuckton Bridge... I didn't know there was ever salmon in the Stour (not knowing much about fishing!), but apparently they are still "occasional". Tuckton Bridge is about half a mile from my house, but the current bridge was built in 1904. Here's a pic of the previous wooden bridge built in 1882:

Old Tuckton Bridge 1882-1904
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Old 06-02-13, 14:40
AndyHoldcroft AndyHoldcroft is offline
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Wow! That is fantastic! Thank you so much for this: it is wonderful to be able to picture where he fished like this: I have visited some of the spots local to me, but these were not known: it is also fascinating to learn of continuity as so many of the places have altered considerably. Will now post the next excerpt!
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